Dissolution of NHLPA would result in “glorious chaos”

Cam Cole of Postmedia news would love to see all existing NHL player contracts voided by the dissolution of the NHLPA, noting “what glorious chaos it would be.”

“It won’t happen, of course,” Cole writes, “because the two sides in the ongoing labour war would never give the media a gift so sensational.

“Still, think of the stories: A frantic orgy of free-agent madness, rich teams stockpiling talent with no salary caps, mid-market teams scrambling to keep some semblance of what they have, deep-pocketed competitive failures seeing a chance to hit a sudden home run, a few other franchises utterly driven out of business … the competition and carnage would be more interesting than a lot of NHL playoff series.

“The league would definitely lose some teams, which admittedly makes it worth fantasizing about.”

Sportsnet legal analyst Rob Becker explains why the NHLPA’s latest strategy could backfire, writing: ” … I believe the union’s plan will indeed fail because Judge Paul Engelmayer, the young but brilliant federal judge in New York City who has been assigned the case, will see right through the formality of the disclaimer of interest to the underlying substance of what it really is: just another negotiating tactic by a union whose death will have been greatly exaggerated.”

120 Comments

Sorry, not a Habs fan…and definitely too young for ’73…but this lockout is killing this Hawks fan, and I was fortunate enough to see the magic of 2010…you’d be surprised to see how many American hockey fans are all for getting rid of dead wood, warm weather teams…I appreciate this is Canada’s past time, your nations’ blood…but this league, this NHL feeds off of American fandom…they are further alienating Americans who are semi-passionate about their teams….they are deliberately trampling the heritage and beauty that you Canadians hold dear, in a ‘Grand Hockey Fight’ and both are as obstinate as Domi vs Probert in standing their ground

Its my understanding Jays did send cash to Mets, I think Jays Payroll is approaching 120 – 125 million mark. They still need to get Josh Johnson to extend also.

I think big moves are done. Now we await to hear if the closer Santos can come back at some point next season.

And I will be honest, i do miss watching the Habs and NHL hockey. My love for the NBA is long ago, and can’t get back into watching guys take 5 steps with the ball to dunk it. The rules in that sport are perhaps bastardized more than the NHL.

Could not agree with you more HiB about NBA. Client took me to a Wolves game a few years back (and they were getting hammered) and everyone was just walking back after a basket so were fast breaked to death. Didn’t care at all.
Still like college BB espically the NCAA tournament.
Mr. Biter
No Guts No Glory

next time we get excited about “all the Habs great d-men prospects”, I will remind everyone of the Penguins unprecedented depth at d-men prospects. It is so off the charts that their top 6 d-men prospects will not only ALL make the NHL, its possible that ALL of them will be impact NHL players.

I used to listen to McGuire on the team 1200 they have him on for an hour… Which was an hour too long, he rarely had anything interesting or informative to say, he would just repeat basically what everyone else was saying only he screetched it talking a hundred miles an hour using strange words and saying that only he understood. I had to stop listening as he would Piss me off for the rest of the day he is truly horrible

One interesting aspect of this whole mess is the media coverage. I find it quite amusing that so many “reporters” are almost as entrenched on one side or the other as the pricinipals. Guys like Larry Brooks, Adam Proteau, and our very own Jack Todd, these guys are so pro-player that reading their stuff is like reading a propaganda pamphlet. The same is true for guys like Darren Dreger on the owners side. At this point, anyone who doesn’t blame both sides for the current stalemate is just lying to themselves.

I can understand guys like Kypreos and Ward being pro-player, and I can understand guys like MacLean being pro-owner. These are guys who used to be employed on those respective sides, so it makes sense. It’s those reporters who should know better, who went to school to learn how to cover news objectively. They need to just stop writing until this is over because all they do now is spew rhetoric. Give me someone like Bob McKenzie or Dave Stubbs who tells it like it is every time, at least they have some integrity.

I’m sorry guys (and gals), but I don’t understand the hurt on Pierre McGuire.
I’ve listened to him often on TSN radio, and I’ve seen him on many a TV broadcast, regardless of the network.
And the guy knows his stuff.
On TV, it’s obvious that he’s there to fill the airwaves. I’m convinced that’s what he’s paid to do, because when he gets on with either Randy Tiemen or Mitch Melnick, he’s far more subdued. He’s not as loud, but still every bit as informative.
Since I watch and listen to both french and english media, it’s easy to find far worse than him……. *** cough *** Mario Tremblay *** Norman Flynn ***cough*** Russ Anber *** P.J. Stock *** cough!!!

I may actually prefer eavestrough nails driven through my eyesockets over listening to Pierre, if that means I don’t enjoy hearing him add 30 words to describe what could be said in 3, well then yes, I am happy he has found a permanent home with NBC.

McGuire is no longer with TSN..he is in the states…thank god..I hope and pray they don’t call him in for the Jr’s..who really needs to know that number 27 in red went to school with is cousins next door neighbours uncles godfather…totally ruins any game he covers…

I see the flicker of hope being that the league will get a ruling in favour of it’s position that the NHLPA is using the Disclaimer tacktic basically to extort better terms and basically blackmail the League in the negotiations which is an illegal tactic in collective bargaining. I am sick and tired of disreputable lawyers and Association leaders using this blackmail tactic to extort terms.
If the League gets a favourable view on that from the judge, all sports wins on this point and PA’s would be forced to negotiate in good faith until done.
Glimmer of hope is the league scares the Players into a wake up call that gets them to realise just how pampered andgood they have it in the NHL and how wealthy they have become under the CBA over the years.

How are the owners being hypocrites by saying they want to make more of the money as it relates to the business they run? I don’t agree with them, but business owners have that right.

For the players to turn around and say, oh no we don’t want a union anymore we are disbanding permanently and have no intent to start a union again, when they will in 30 seconds (after a deal is done) is completely disingenuous.

The Owners signed nearly a billion dollars worth of contracts in the weeks prior to the lockout, then locked the players out and asked for a paycut (in the form of increased escrow). Is this not hypocritical too?

That’s why they filed suit in New York. Certain states seem to favor owners and certain states workers. New York was deemed more owner friendly.Virtually the same suit that NBA owners used in New York in the basketball srtike.

I wonder what direction was given to the players by their representatives about which way to vote and why. If the players were to vote to dissolve, this would put the fringe franchises and boarder line players back into the AHL where they belong! It just might work out best for the whole league after a settling of who belongs in the NHL and who are just filling holes. I think we would lose about 5 or 6 teams and 150 players for the better.
Just saying!

I think I read somewhere that after the last full year cancellation of the season over 100 players lost their jobs and were out of Pro hockey.
I imagine you are right Ian, many players woould have to retire, many 3rd and 4th liners wold be gone as new youth moves in, and a few over priced players would be flipping burgers in Alaska (Gomez).
Probably a great outcome for the game in the long run.

If the 3rd and 4th liners vote for dissolution of they are dumber than I thought since they would be voting for the end their NHL careerbasically in solidarity with the Crosby’s and Nash and Richards of the league…over paid fat cats.

240 NHLers never played another game in the NHL. The 3rd and 4th liners should use their voting power to get back playing. As it is right now, they will lose 100% of this season and maybe the start of next season.

That’s the part I can’t understand. The 3rd and 4th line players with 1 year contracts and some way overpaid players whose contract will expire this year (Think Ron Hainsey) are going to lose tons of money or their jobs. Are these guys that stupid to piss away their NHL careers? And just out of interest was there ever a secret ballot by the players to actually force the NHL to lock them out or was this conceived by Fehr and the team Reps.Can’t remember it ever being mentioned on this site.

Greater good? NHL players average salary more than NFL players with their old contract. Sorry if you’ve only got an average NHL career between 3-5 years you get what you can. You can never fault a player who was offered a huge contract by some idiot Owner/G.M. and took it. I know plenty of people blast Gomer about his salary but no one has ever come forward when I ask if you were in his shoes would you have turned the contract down?

Sorry Tris, got caught up in the moment, but a lot of the players don’t (In my view) realize they may be losing their careers espically if say 6 teams do fold that’s roughly 180 jobs and if you add that to the 100-150 players other posters have said leave every year means 280-320 won’t be playing. Nice to think of the future but I highly think any future players will not share any of their riches with the 300 who lost their jobs.

That “next generation” of players will only make more money if HRR expands. The current players are doing their best to see that growth won’t happen for a long time. But, hey, union power and all that rot.

Along with ridding itself of Buttman, losing 5 or 6 teams is exactly what the NHL needs, as this will allow conditions which focus on product quality versus quantity and profit margins.

Quality is the Canadian mindset, whereas quantity is the Buttman vision : sell lotsa’ bobbles in PHX, TB and a half dozen franchises in the NYC area, then call yourself champion of ” our ” game. Buttman just has to go …

As usual, Stu Hackel writes the sane article, even though he quotes the Jack Todd-like Brooks.
If the players get their way, kiss this and next season goodbye. Think of it, though. Gomez’ contract would be gone. And all the others 1 year closer to ending.

To me, one of the most frustrating things about this lockout is that all this time and rigamarole will be wasted just to end up with an agreement that is roughly what everyone thought it was going to be in the first place.

The easiest answer, if the league were to declare all contracts null and void, while the players decertified, there would be legal disputes for the next half decade and no real NHL to speak of anymore as there would be too large a mess to even consider where to begin with it all.

It could well signal the end of the league as we knew it (USFL, XFL, WHA, ABA style)

For those not interested in the childish posturing between the NHL and NHLPA, there is some good news, TSN will be showing 4 WJC pre tournament games. This Thursdasy Canada vs Finland and USA vs Sweden and on Saturday Canada vs Sweden and USA vs Finland.

Should be a lot of fun to watch. For early risers or late night owls they will be showing the games live at like 4 a.m but they will also show a replay at a reasonable hour. Of course, the real deal starts on Boxing Day. Let the NHL continue their childish games; this is hockey in it’s purest form.

So if the NHL gets the win in their lawsuit and all contracts are deemed void…all players become UFA’s…

Who do the Habs go after for the top six forwards…?
An all French connection group or a nmix of stars young and old?
Stamkos, Malkin, Bergeron (Boston’s) St. Louis?
Who do they try to keep from current roster…

All very hypothetical and improbable, BUT it could be fun to ponder the possibilities for a while.

I doubt Stamkos would ever think of playing for MTL as he was a Leafs fan growing up, and I just thought of something, If, all that crazyness did happen (I HOPE IT DOES!! :)) and these players want to stay in this F’ed up league then; I think guys like Stammer would be loyal and go back to Tampa. I also think everyone on MTL would come back and sign the same deals.

Of the three posts referenced above. The best is Stu Hackel, for taking the position, that this is a giant legal swamp full of uncertainty. He’s 100% correct, even if he’s not the first to have said it.

The whole NHL and NHL PA thing is nonsense anyway. Last time around they had to have a cap to stop the owners from overpaying. This time around they have to have a lower cap to stop the owners from overpaying. Now the NHL is taking the PA to court to prevent them from dissolving and making every player a free agent, causing the owners to…you guessed it… overpay.

It is all like bartenders arguing about when to cut off the loudmouths bugging everybody while the shooter girl is delivering another tray.